Tips on Identifying Your Next IT Support Company

There are several reasons why your organisation might need the assistance of an IT support team. Maybe you’re growing at a pace that prevents your own IT team from being able to cope with things or maybe, you just find it more commercially viable to outsource.

Whatever your reasoning, the process of choosing an IT support team can be quite tricky if you don’t know what to look for. However, don’t fear, we at totality services have drafted a checklist of sorts to guide you.

Specialisation

When you suspect you have a skin infection, who would you got to? Well, a doctor of course. But, more specifically, you’d go to a dermatologist because he/she is trained to specifically deal with skin-related problems. In other words, he/she is a specialist.

This is the same principle that needs to be applied when choosing an IT support partner. The business landscape is diverse, made up of several industries. Your organisation obviously functions within a very specific set of industries or even just a single industry.

Needless to say, this means that your IT needs are special and relevant only to the industries you’re operating in. So, you need an IT support partner that specialises in and understands those very industries. For instance, an IT support company that caters primarily to the healthcare sector may not possess the expertise to support a retail firm.

So, look for a provider who can meet your individual needs.

Multiple clients

A successful IT support company is one that caters to multiple clients. On the other hand, one that relies on a single client to sustain its operations obviously isn’t doing too well. Typically, any IT support firm that sources 35% (or more) of its revenue from a single client isn’t worth your time and effort.

There are several problems with having to deal with such a partner. For starters, they might shut down as soon as the major client ends the deal, leaving you to hunt for another provider at the last minute.
Secondly, a company like that will also prioritise the needs of its “saviour” client over your needs. That’s obviously not pleasant.

So, always choose a firm that boasts a diverse portfolio of clients.

Experience & Certifications

When you choose to hire an employee for a specialised position, would you go for someone fresh off the boat or someone who’s seen it all? Ideally, you’d go for the latter because they’re likely to know what they’re doing. But, that’s not all, you’d also make sure they have the necessary qualifications.

Choosing an IT support team is a lot like hiring an employee. You need someone with the right qualifications and the appropriate amount of experience. A worthy IT support partner should possess enough experience and also, the right certifications.

There are plenty of IT technicians out there with the right training, but 0 professional experience. They’ll tell you what software to use but scratch their heads when you want them to solve one of the more “strange” issues affecting your business systems.

The exact reverse is true as well. You’ll have technicians with oodles of experience, but no knowledge of the latest solutions.

Avoid them both and choose IT partners that are updated and experienced.

References

One of the best ways to determine whether or not an IT firm is worth your time and money, is by requesting a review from other customers. But, is the IT firm in question willing to provide you with references? If they are, it means they know what they’re doing and are well aware of their positive reputation.

However, if they aren’t willing to provide references, the answer is quite obvious.

totality services was founded in 2008 to provide London’s small & medium businesses with end-to-end IT services, right from purchasing and installing hardware to providing Mac & Windows support, cloud solutions, and data backup. We support our clients using proven, high-quality systems and IT security practices that blue-chip companies take for granted.

We consistently achieve excellent client satisfaction thanks to a process-driven approach, concise documentation and our team of friendly and highly trained London based engineers.